Plasma group welcomes Robert Wickshttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-q1-2015/robert-wicksThe MSSL
Space Plasmas group welcomes Dr. Robert Wicks to the laboratory and the
group. Robert joins as a new-appointment
joint Lecturer at UCL with activities split between MSSL and the Institute for
Risk and Disaster Reduction. Robert
comes to us from Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, where he has worked for the
past three years. Prior to this, Robert spent
three years as a post-doc at Imperial College London, having completed his PhD
studies at the University of Warwick in 2009.Space Plasma News MSSLProf Christopher J Owen2015-02-02T08:39:01ZPlasma group hosts James Buxton (Judd School) for a week of work experiencehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-q1-2015/james-buxton The MSSL Space Plasma Group welcomed James Buxton, a sixth form pupil at Judd School in Tonbridge, Kent, for a week of work experience during half-term week 16-20 February 2015. In addition to discussions with members of the laboratory on solar imaging techniques, spacecraft observations of the heliosphere and the hardware program and technical capabilities of UCL/MSSL, James experienced seminars on Solar Orbiter, flux transfer events at the terrestrial magnetopause and cosmological parameters derived from the Planck mission. He also participated in the space plasmas student progress discussion meeting. Between these activities, James worked on a mini-research project looking for solar eruptive events that were detected at multiple points on their journey from the Sun through the Heliosphere. An example of his work can be found here . Space Plasma News MSSLProf Christopher J Owen2015-02-02T08:39:01ZPlasma group welcomes Simon Thomashttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-q1-2015/simon-thomasWe are delighted to welcome Simon Thomas into the Plasma Group. Simon comes to us from the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, where he worked with Dr. Matt Owens and Prof. Mike Lockwood on cosmic ray modulation by solar wind structures. He submitted his thesis in January and we expect that he will complete his PhD in early March. Simon will be working on pre-launch science for Solar Orbiter using burst mode data from the PEACE electron instruments on the Cluster spacecraft. His studies of Galactic Cosmic Ray modulation by the heliospheric magnetic field and Heliospheric Current Sheet have to date resulted in 4 first-authored publications in refereed journals. Simon's experience in both high- and low-energy particle populations in the solar wind and knowledge of associated physical processes, such as particle drifts and diffusion, means that Simon will be an excellent addition to our group. Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2015-02-02T08:39:01ZDr. Colin Forsyth at National Space Centre CareersFesthttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-q1-2015/forsyth-nsc-careersfest-jan-2015 Dr. Colin Forsyth attended the annual Year 12 CareersFest at the National Space Centre in Leicester. Colin gave short talks on the different career opportunities at MSSL and career pathways, as well as taking part in the &quot;Meet the Scientist' session, where the attending students had an opportunity to put their questions to the assembled scientists and engineers, as well as getting up close to some of MSSL's space hardware.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2015-01-30T14:46:18ZDr. Colin Forsyth at RSGB Convention 2014http://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/mssl-news-q4-2014/forsyth-rsgb-2014Dr. Colin Forsyth was invited to talk at the Radio Society of Great Britain's annual convention, held at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. His talk, entitled HF Propagation Alphabet Soup covered the science behind standard global space weather indices and how these can be interpreted for high frequency radio wave propagation.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2014-10-13T12:54:45ZDr. Colin Forsyth at the Festival of Naturehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-june-2014/festival-of-nature Dr. Colin Forsyth was invited to talk at the Festival of Nature Wild Weekend run by the Bristol Natural History Consortium . Dr. Forsyth's talk, entitled &quot;The Greatest Light Show on Earth&quot;, was given to a packed tent at the harbour side in Bristol.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2014-08-29T15:59:36ZPlasma Group Welcomes Dr Zhonghua Yaohttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-Q1-2014/welcome-dr-yaoThe MSSL Space Plasmas Group warmly welcomes Dr Zhonghua Yao as a new colleague. Dr Yao joins us from the School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University in China, where he recently completed a Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Zuyin Pu, a longstanding and trusted colleague and a leading scientist in our field in China. More specifically, Zhonghua's research work addresses one of the central issues of magnetotail physics, and one which has been of great interest to our group for some time, that of the role of fast flow enhancements in the transport of mass and energy within the magnetotail during magnetospheric substorms.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2014-04-16T13:50:40ZFirst Joint ESA-China Academy of Science Joint Scientific Space Mission Workshophttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-Q1-2014/esa-china-meetings Prof. Andrew Fazakerley and Dr J. Rae attended this workshop in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China on 25, 26 Feb 2014. They presented an auroral space mission concept targeted on substorm onset science questions, and made useful contacts with potential Chinese collaborators. They also supported posters concerning the Ravens and AXIOM mission concepts on behalf colleagues who could not attend the meeting. On a free day following the workshop, they visited the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base and saw many giant pandas and red pandas. The famously spicy local cuisine was also sampled.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2014-03-21T16:16:49ZCongratulations to Dr. Duthiehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-Q4-2013/dr-duthieWe congratulate to Roger Duthie of the Space Plasma Physics Group (SPPG) who successfully defended his Thesis in an oral examination at UCL on 04 December 2013. The Thesis title was &quot;Multi-point observations of substorm-related phenoeman in the Earth's magnetotail&quot;, and it made extensive use of data from the Cluster and Double Star missions. Roger is seen here talking to Dr Segheen Beyene (also of the SPPG, who was awarded a PhD earlier this year) while having a celebratory pint! Roger is immediately taking up employment at the British Antarctic Survey and we wish him well in his new job.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2013-12-05T15:51:16ZCongratulations to Dr. Anekalluhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/space-plasma-physics/news/mssl-plasma-news/plasma-news-Q4-2013/anekalluChandra Anekallu, formerly a member of the PEACE Operations Team in the space plasma phsyics group will be awarded at PhD from the University of Helsinki following the public defence of his thesis on 25th October. He was given a hard time by his 'Opponent' (our own Prof. Chris Owen) but performed admirably in front of an audience of 30-40 people. We wish Chandra all the best and look forward to working with him in the future.Space Plasma News MSSLColin Forsyth2013-11-11T11:37:50Z